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Indian River County man charged with wife's murder

wptv-gary-stump-.jpg
Posted at 4:31 PM, Feb 26, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-26 18:50:50-05

Some residents living on 41st Avenue near Vero Beach were disturbed to learn disturbing news about their neighbor.

58-year-old Gary Stump is facing felony first-degree murder.

"Oh, we were very sad to hear that something like that would happen on our block in our neighborhood," said a person who did not want to be identified.

Friday night around 8 o'clock Stump called 911.

"He told our dispatcher that he had just killed his wife that she was laying in a pool of blood and our deputies responded," Indian River County Sheriff's Office Major Eric Flowers said.

When deputies arrived, they found Stump's 69-year-old wife dead. He had been stabbed. "Our detectives spent time with Mr. Stump. It was clear that he was under the influence of some pills at that point he did admit to killing his wife," Major Flowers said.

The sheriff's office said Stump also told detectives that his wife was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

"That he killed her to put her out of her out of her misery because she had Parkinson's for a variety of things. But the reality is he brutally murdered his wife, he stabbed her to death in her own bed. And clearly was in no way merciful about this murder," Major Flowers said.

"It goes to show anything can happen anywhere. Doesn't matter where you live anymore. It's terrible, really bad," a neighbor said.

Detectives have not yet released the victim's name.

Stump was denied bond when he appeared in court. He remains in the Indian River County Jail.